Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 8 October 2026 confirmed that the United States has established a high-level task force to shape its national approach to artificial intelligence superintelligence, acknowledging that the technology carries both extraordinary promise and serious risks that governments must urgently address. The announcement came during a joint press conference with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis in Athens.

Task Force Structure and Mandate

The task force will be chaired by Jay Clayton, the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to Rubio, the body will examine potential regulatory measures, protective safeguards, and strategies to maximise the economic and strategic advantages of increasingly capable AI systems.

Rubio framed the effort as a structured government response to a fast-moving technological challenge. 'The US government has set up a process,' he said, adding that the administration had already assembled a group to consider these questions and develop an appropriate policy framework.

What the Trump Administration Wants

Rubio was responding to a question about whether the government bore responsibility to prevent advanced AI laboratories from developing systems that could pose existential risks to humanity. He said the administration's core objective was twofold: harness the technology's benefits while containing potential harm.

'How do we take the positives of it and harness it in a way that serves the interests of our country, and how do we mitigate or prevent the dangers of it?' Rubio said.

He also referenced a recent gathering of technology leaders convened by President Donald Trump, at which a joint declaration had outlined broad guiding principles for addressing superintelligence. The Secretary of State stressed that the process had to move quickly, given the extraordinary pace at which the technology was advancing.

Greece's Perspective: Benefits and Democratic Risks

Greek Foreign Minister Gerapetritis described AI as a major scientific and industrial breakthrough capable of transforming education, expanding knowledge, and narrowing gaps in expertise. However, he warned that it could simultaneously deepen inequalities and threaten democratic institutions.

Gerapetritis specifically flagged misinformation, disinformation, and addiction among vulnerable populations as areas requiring focused attention. 'Our reality is that artificial intelligence is dual-use. It might be beneficial, but it can also be destructive,' he said.

He called for a balanced regulatory posture: 'So yes to regulation, yes to technology, not no to technophobia.'

The Broader Governance Challenge

The Athens exchange reflects a widening international debate over how governments can regulate advanced AI without stifling innovation. Rubio acknowledged that public and government awareness of AI's implications had shifted significantly in recent years, even though the underlying technology had been developing for some time.

He indicated that Washington intended to work closely with allied governments as it refined its approach — signalling that AI governance could become a new axis of transatlantic and multilateral coordination, much as cybersecurity and nuclear non-proliferation have been in the past.

The task force's findings are expected to inform the first formal US regulatory framework for superintelligent AI systems, with the speed of the technology's development adding pressure to deliver recommendations sooner rather than later.